.

When the smoke puffs up in little rings like that, dad's studyin' the fish.

Ef we speak to him now, he'll git mad.

Las' time I did, he jest took an' hove a boot at me." Disko Troop stared forward, the pipe between his teeth, with eyes that saw nothing.

As his son said, he was studying the fish--pitting his knowledge and experience on the Banks against the roving cod in his own sea.